Teva Montecito boots

I’ve talked about my Teva Montecito boots before but it looked like there were discontinued at the end of last season. I’ve gotten a handful of questions in email about them since so I thought I’d mention here that they are available again this winter.

Last winter I wore these boots all around a rainy Paris and a rainy Nottingham and a rainy Seattle and they held up beautifully. They are the most comfortable pair of shoes that I own. I think I’m in love with them.

I’ll sum up all the points from my earlier and longer review: These are mid-calf leather boots with cork soles, they are remarkably light weight and bouncy, the break in period was painless and they never gave me blisters (despite a lot of walking in Paris), I don’t miss the arch support like I expected to, the toe and arch area stretched enough to make them comfortable to the point that I simply don’t think or worry about my feet when I’m wearing them, a little overlapping flap near the button at the top means there is a lot of wiggle room so they don’t hug your calves too tightly, my feet have neither been too hot or too cold when wearing them (though I have not worn them in snowy conditions), and the pattern on the bottom of the sole is pretty. They are high on my list of things I would miss most if something happened to our house (pick one: fire, flood, earthquake, tornado, theft of just our footwear).

Another option that I’ve read very good things about and have admired being worn by others is the Merrell Tetra Launch waterproof boots with the military inspired button detail.

21 responses so far ↓

Those boots are the bomb! I read your blog and immediately bought them. Luckily they were are sale at REI. I also bought the Merrells with the faux buttons at the back. Those are super comfy too and quite chic. Thanks for the recommendation. FYI. Try the Tsubo Asmik wedges. I think you’ll like them. The tag for them is comfort minus ugly!! -jen

I’ve had the Merrell Tetra Launch for the last 2 years, and I adore them. They have really decent arch support, and the soles are very durable. They stay warm in the winter and they don’t make you too hot in the spring or fall. I definitely recommend getting a beeswax based oil protectant to maintain the waterproofing- unless you get rubber boots, no waterproofing lasts forever.

I can vouch for the Merrells. I bought mine on clearance at REI in January, and wore them pretty much daily through July (we have had a very, very mild summer). I’ve even worn them on day hikes. Definitely the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever owned.

Anna – I’m afraid I don’t have a photo, they don’t look as awkward under pants as I feared they might, but they aren’t fashion-y shoes either. Here in Seattle we tend towards utility. I have a picture of my legs, and I bought the boots specifically to wear with skirts. The unconventional styling and the seam down the center front of the shoe means that they don’t look like strictly utilitarian boots when worn with pants.

After breaking my ankle, I was looking for some new boots and these were comfortable and bouncy and cute. But I ended up with some Geox Mendi Stivali which are knee length and had better arch support which suited me better at the time. The only upside of breaking my ankle is that I need all new shoes. I think I need to try those again. *runs to Zappos, blames Megan*

The Merrell boots are very comfortable, but I find them so warm that I can only wear them in the coldest weather. Which turned out to be a good thing last winter, with all the snow in NYC. I could practically go outside naked with these boots on. Not that I tried it.

I, too, bought these boots after seeing you rave about them, and I love them! I have a slightly wide foot (maybe a D width?), and they are a little snug on me, but not to the point where I can’t wear them. However, I don’t think I could wear them were my foot any wider.

eek, do i get them even though i’d be cheating on them with my red wellies? i was almost hoping the teva’s would’ve been more expensive so i would have an excuse – but they seem pretty reasonable. i hope rei still has them. big sale here i come!

Just a note for ladies with wider calves, I ordered these last year and had to send them back. (thanks, Zappos!) They are fairly stretchy, but if your calf is 16″ or greater, it’ll be a tight fit. They were supremely comfortable, at least for trying on! :(

This is a dumb question, but how do you keep your socks from sliding down when you wear boots? I hate tights, and I like how boots look, but after an hour or so, my socks are bunched down. How do you manage?

After your recommendation, I bought these for myself earlier this year – for a rainy San Francisco trip. They are AWESOME! I have a hard plastic arch support insole that I wear when ever I have a lot of walking to do and even though mine has a heel built into it, it still fit nicely inside the foot of the boot – so I was stylish and supported all at the same time! I mostly wear mine with dresses and skirts because I’m not a skinny-leg jean girl, and like you mentioned they’re pretty boring under bootleg jeans. These were well worth every penny and I’ll keep them around forever!

Laura – I always go with an over-the-calf length of sock to prevent sliding. Target always has cute knee socks on sale and I stock up. For me (4’10”), these boots come nearly to my knees, so the socks aren’t seen much, if at all. I have a different pair of boots with a lower shaft that I would sometimes fold the socks over the top (if I were wearing a longer skirt or pants) to keep the socks from slipping. But mostly, it’s just good elastic!

I, too, can vouch for the Merrells. Comfortable, warm, waterproof, etc. I wear them to work a lot in the winter. However, I’ve found they don’t work with pants at all – I feel like I’m wearing clown shoes if I try to wear them with pants. Not a big deal since I wear a lot of skirts, but a caution in case anyone is looking for boots to wear with pants.

I have the Teva boots and they are amazing! Like giddy, I bought them right before a San Francisco trip and didn’t have time to really break in the boots. I walked up and down and all around and had no blisters or sore feet! I have really large calves and had no problem zipping these. I’ve worn them to the point they should be worn out, but they still look great! I should probably stock up on another pair or two for the sad day when they finally fall apart!

Thank you to everybody for the further recommendations, if I wear my Montecitos as much this year as last I’ll definitely need a second pair of boots to trade the wear and tear.

Ellen – Thanks for the note on calf size. I had ordered 7, 7.5 and 8 to try on and the size 7 had a calf that was a bit too narrow for me while the 8 was noticeably looser than the 7.5. They do scale up but it seems that they stick to the standard calf sizing for these boots. I wonder if the seam around the top means they are harder to stretch?

Laura – I usually wear some bamboo socks that are sort of bunched around the heel, the tops are nicely elastic and hug. I’ve not had any trouble with socks sliding down off the heel area and bunching up at the front of the boot. I do tend to buy socks at Nordstrom Rack these days as I could never find an inexpensive cotton sock that didn’t slip down.

I just bought these boots at the REI sale this weekend! Your recommendation definitely helped in my search for the perfect boot, I LOVE how lightweight and springy the heel is, and that they don’t have as many busy details as other boots I’ve seen!

So after lusting after these boots for some time (thanks to your love for them), I put them on my holiday gift list as a long shot… but my mom bought them for me! Hooray! And they are gorgeous and soft and I loved them instantly and they didn’t even come close to fitting my wide-ish foot right. Wah. Thanks anyways and I continue to read you slavishly. Yours, GG